Bakery – Page 19

Ham and cheese baked into a bread…a compendium.

September 8, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Cooking, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

You've found mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy are the usual bloggers here. Today, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both away from their computers and unable to blog, so Cathy is writing.

Today's post is about a common food item coincidence discovered while logging, deleting and organizing photos and events to eventually blog about. Yep, I've been staying indoors during these crazy humid days and it's this, football on TV and completing Continuing Education credits online.

I was amazed at how many photos I have of the simple food item of ham and cheese baked into a bread and decided to share the variations I've found in Southern California. Some places I have blogged about before and some places will be posted in the future.

Last October, I wrote about Euro Pane, a bakery restaurant in Pasadena. Ham in chunks and melted cheese, along with onion and carrot baked into a crispy crusted, quality bread ($5) (it's quite large). Simple and wonderful.

Euro Pane Bakery 950 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 107 Pasadena, CA 91106 (626) 577-1828

Last November, we stopped at the Super H Mart in Diamond Bar. One of the many businesses in the Food Court area, Tous les Jour (a Korean bakery), sold this ham and cheese baked in a soft, cheesy bread ($2.10). I remember liking it, but not the specifics. Website

Here's a cross section of the ham and cheese from Paris Baguette ($2.20) The croissant, crispy, flaky, fluffy, also has a sweet glaze on top. It's disconcerting at first, but since there is very little ham or cheese filling, it makes the majority of the bites (the bread) rather pleasant.

Paris Baguette, inside HMart and Zion Market, San Diego

In June, I traveled to 85C Bakery in Irvine. Twice. This Taiwanese bakery sells a ham filled cheese topped soft bread roll ($2.25) It's very cheesy, tasty and unique.

85C Cafe and Bakery 2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 123 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 553-8585 US website Open 7 a.m. daily.

Right across the parking lot from 85C is Bon Epi, a Korean bakery, which makes a wonderful ham and cheese croissant. It's one of my top two.

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café 2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 101 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 251-0070. Open seven days 7 a.m.-midnight Website

Best Donuts and Deli is a Mexican Bakery located two storefronts from Little Sheep Hot Pot. A new Starbucks was built at the corner of the mall and The Mister and I walked in here looking for a treat to have with a coffee.

These trays were next to the counter, ready to be set out. I asked what was in the small rolled breads; the nice lady handed me one – as a sample. Ham and cheese in a perfect ratio with the bread; the ham was chopped, it is a hard white Mexican cheese that isn't too melty-gooey and there were chopped marinated carrots in the mix. It was really a perfect bite. Two for $1.

The bread is a nice, chewy white bread, not anything flaky nor soft. Simple and very good. As you can see, we also got two sweets. A longer post (about the torta sandwiches and donuts here) is forthcoming.

Best Donuts and Deli 4714 Clairmont Mesa BlvdSan Diego 92117 (858) 581-1278

K Sandwich also makes a ham and cheese croissant ($2), and the result is amazingly consistent. These are photos from three different visits.

You can see the croissant dough has a crispy flaky crust layer with a softer bready interior and that pieces of white cheese are rolled inside the ham before baking. It's an easy, quick snack.

K Sandwich corner of Convoy/Linda Vista at Mesa College Drive (7604 Linda Vista 92111) Open at 6 a.m. Mon-Sat, 8 a.m. Sunday.

Santee has four Starbucks stores (if you count the one inside the Vons) and next to the one located in the Albertson's parking lot is Pink Donuts, which sells a ham and cheese filled bread ($1.75).

A very soft, buttery bread surrounds a good amount of ham. The bottom part of the ham has a thin layer of a soft white cheese. Good, because it's fresh, the bread crushes easily. Not bad in a pinch/early morning when I don't want to drive very far).

Pink Donuts 9802 Magnolia (at Mast Boulevard) Santee 92071 (619)258-8807

Yet another donut shop, Peterson's Donut Corner in Escondido, sells a very hammy ham and cheese filled bread ($2). Again, it's just a thin layer of cheese on the bottom part of the bread. It's a good bread dough, only slightly crispy but a good slightly chewy dough. (That's a blueberry frosted cake donut, excellent- 95¢)

Peterson's Donut Corner 903 S. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido 92025 (760) 745-7774

Pangea Bakery Cafe, on Convoy street, sells good sized ham and cheese bread semi-loaves for $2.50. A hunk can easily be shared by two people.

A sofrt bread topped with cheese and layered with a good amount of ham and yellow cheese. When this is fresh (or toaster oven re-warmed), it's an excellent meal.

Pangea Bakery Cafe 4689 Convoy Street, Suite 100 San Diego 92111 (858)560-0688 website

I recently wrote a post about Cream Pan, a Japanese bakery in Tustin. The ham and cheese croissant here is exquisite ($2.50). It isn't very large and that's OK. This is the only place that bakes in Swiss cheese with the ham, and exposes (and slightly crisps) the ham. The flaky croissant makes the prefect ratio to the meat and cheese filling. I never get a photo of the cross section, because we exit the freeway and are in and out of here quickly; the croissant is consumed in the car as I drive away. Trust me, it's good.

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 (714)665-8239 Open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days

I haven't posted on Sidecar Donuts yet, but went here twice in less than two weeks in June. A small popular bakery in Costa Mesa, Sidecar has lines of people out the door and into the parking lot daily. It sells more or less 'regular' (but fancy) donuts and each day also sell one even-more-special item. This day, it was a Monte Cristo Donut ($3.75). Filled with ham, cheese and strawberry jam then fried and topped with powdered sugar, as an egg dipped and fried Monte Cristo sandwich would be. So it's not a bread dough, but still ham and cheese filled and delightful. I thought I'd add it in here, since it almost fits the topic.

Sidecar Donuts and Coffee 270 East 17th Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (949) 887-2910 Website

To conclude this post, and possibly answer your inner comments, of course this can be done at home. Above is a meat and cheese bread The Mister made the other day with a one pound refrigerated dough, Jarlsberg cheese and and hard salami. He baked it on a cookie sheet on the outdoor grill; placing the cookie sheet on the opposite side from the heated burner. Radient heat you know.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and that the week ahead will have normal weather. Thanks for reading.

Cream Pan (Japonaise Bakery)-Tustin road trip

August 7, 2013 Cathy Bakery, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is an online sharing of various adventures of Kirk, Ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others. We try to make each post have something to do with some sort of food in the form of a simple snack or full blown meal. Today, Cathy is writing.

The first time I went to Cream Pan, it was the fifth stop of the day when cc and I were driving to Pasadena to Vromans Book Store. The second time, The Mister and I were driving to Pasadena to see a 2014 Rose Parade Road Test. It's an easy exit off the 5 (take Red Hill, turn right but get to the center lane to take an immediate left onto El Camino Real) and easy to get back onto the 5 North(entrance is at the signal light at the end of the mall where Cream Pan is located). Cream Pan is a Japanese bakery. That day of "stop at a bakery until you get to the Book Store" road trip gave me an excellent comparison of baking styles, which I had never been discernible of prior. (85C is Taiwanese and Bon Epi is Korean).

As I understand it, the building formerly housed two bakeries, Cream Pan and Japonaise, with Cream Pan being in the back. (Ignore that website printed on the van; it does not exist).

Now, the whole building is Cream Pan, with the majority of it being the actual kitchen/baking area and maybe 25% is the walk in bakery.

On our first trip, CC and I arrived and there was a line formed inside the store. The refrigerated cases are the first ones you see…and those strawberry croissants are what everyone seems to want to purchase.

The eating area inside is simple and beautiful, with wood tables and chairs. There are outdoor tables and chairs along the sides of the building.

Fresh rolls are on display near the cash register and breads are along the wall as you walk in.

Here's a view of the eat in area at 6:15 on a Saturday morning…

The non-refrigerated pastry cases are full at 6 a.m.

Just behind the cash registers are additional freshly baked items, ready to refill the cases once the crowds descend.

When cc and I arrived that June Sunday, it was our fifth stop of the day and we each only made a single purchase. My strawberry croissant and cc's hot dog. Both items were for us to take home and not to eat there…Good thing we each brought thermal containers for transport! The custard cream filling of that croissant is *really* good…the crust is buttery, flaky and overall, it is small. It's excellent.

When I brought The Mister here for the first time, we were looking to grab a quick breakfast and purchased the hot dog ($1.80)(there is catsup on the top of the croissant 'bun') a ham and cheese croissant ($2.50)-smaller than other ham and cheese croissants, but absolutely the best ratio of ham:cheese:bread and combination of flavors than all others, and a strawberry croissant ($1.40) as well as a small cup of coffee ($1.50). There is an espresso machine here, which would make for a perfect sit down meal. There are also pre-made sandwiches and salads available.

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 (714)665-8239 Open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café-(Irvine)-Road Trip

August 5, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Orange County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Sometimes Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about local eating adventures and sometimes they drive to find a place to eat. This post is about two of Cathy's driving adventures, because after her first visit, she just had to bring The Mister here.

This post is a continuation of an eating adventure which began very early one Sunday across the parking lot. The first bakery we hit (85C) is Taiwanese and this bakery, Bon Epi, is Korean. CC and I were driving North with an ultimate purpose (to meet and hear Marvin Gapultos speak about his newly released The Adobo Road cookbook). It was so early, we were missing crowds and finding fresh baked goods at an interesting variety of ethnic bakeries in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin and Pasadena.

Several posters (corner of which is in the bottom left of this photo above) advertising macarons, are all around this mall (Diamond Jamboree). This is going to be a post of the first of *many* macaron posts…after this visit, macarons have became a snack obsession.

I purchase pain d'epi, wheat stalk shaped bread, at Major Market in Escondido whenever I am there…being wheat stalk shaped means it can break apart into rolls and I find that convenient. I figured Bon Epi would sell many breads and compared to other bakeries, it does (that's a whole table of just breads to the left when you walk in).

There is a small eat in area inside and quite a few tables outside.

The baked pastry area is fairly small, but kept constantly filled with fresh choices.

The refrigerated cases to the other side of the cash register hold a beautiful array of colorful macarons as well as other refrigerated colorful sweets.

The macaron (not to be confused with a coconut macaroon) is delicate, small and packed with flavor. The 'gateaux sec' is the dry cake (and most colorful part you see). It's basically a meringue: egg white whipped with sugar and crushed almond/almond flour and usually that's all the flavor in it. It's a light and crispy crust with a softer interior cookie. The fillings of the macaron are varied in flavor and texture.

This was cc's purchase that first day. The box costs $1 or 50¢ extra, but is a nice keepsake and presentation as well as protectant for the delicate bites.

My purchase that first day here consisted of the pistachio and the white chocolate peach. The pistachio was very nicely nutty flavored, lightly whipped and went well with the almond 'cookie' exterior. The peach was basically peach colored and basically filled with thick white chocolate. It was very sweet and not what I like.

CC bought this peanut bread (topped with crushed peanuts; it looks so good) and almond Danish stick; I got the Biscuit Cream seen on the left; it was a very generous filled and delicate cake-like pastry.

When I came back with The Mister, we also exercised restraint, knowing we were on a bakery centric morning and got the ham and cheese croissant here (to compare with the one I had just purchased at 85C) and The Mister chose a salted caramel macaron…which was thickly filled with a heavy real salted caramel. It lasted a while because a tiny bite just filled your mouth with flavor and the chewiness of a soft caramel.

I breifly mentioned in another post that I am also currently infaturated with ham and cheese filled breads. I do think the ham and cheese croissant here is the best I've ever had…so far. Maybe because it was still warm, maybe it was the chunks of white cheese or maybe the thick and flavorful slice of ham…or the combination of all three. (See the macaron on the table? We each had a small bite of it and wanted to savor and stretch out that flavor…)

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café 2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 101 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 251-0070

Open seven days 7 a.m.-midnight Website

Paris Baguette (again) and a Kronut!

July 29, 2013 Cathy Bakery, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you have in front of you, has writings of a rotation of subjects which ultimately center on some sort of delicacy or general appetite satisfaction. Today, while Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) sit back and contemplate their latest form of nourishment, Cathy will write.

Hello again. Ever since the Paris Baguette franchise showed up in San Diego, I've been fascinated at the variety of baked goods offered in the small venue whenever The Mister and I stop in the local HMart.

Last weekend, on our most recent visit, this sign stood out:

Well, you know I had to…but of course, I wanted to appear in control of my purchase, so picked up a tray and paper liner and set out to buy a few items from this in store bakery…

As I rounded the back corner…

There IT was- the LAST Kronut on the tray. Nobody was around, there was no fighting for it: it was MINE!!!

My total purchase: Sausage bread ($1.80), Blackout bread($1.80), Ham and cheese croissant ($2.20) and Kronut ($3)…see? Three items with a protein and only one sweet…I appear to be disciplined in my bakery habits…

The Mister and I drove across the street, to the Starbucks. I waited in line for a coffee (brewed, bold, tall: discipline) while The Mister lined up the purchase so I could take a photo.

The ham and cheese croissant is a regular purchase of mine, everywhere. I may do an entire post of ham and cheese croissants one day. The crust here is sweet glazed, the crust/bread is wonderful: crispy and flaky, the ham is flavorful but sparse, as is the cheese.

I like the sausage bread here, because the sausage itself has good flavor, it's topped with quite a bit of cheese and the red and green pepper rings add that touch of flavor (and fiber )that rounds it all out…the bread is good too.

If you haven't figured it out, the "Black Out Bread" is colored with squid ink . The sausage/hot dog is split and the center filled with mustard. The ends sticking out of the bread are split again, so they curl when it bakes and looks kind of like a squid.

Finally. The Kronut (not to be confused with the Cronut™). The fried croissant dough, filled with a wonderful pastry cream, topped with a lemony/citrus pudding swirl.

I can count the number of times I've paid $3 for a donut on one hand. I have a post coming up about those other goodies; bakeries are a current obsession. This Kronut is worth it….so very worth it.

Paris Baguette (Inside H Mart) 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 website

House of Cookies, Pasadena Farmers Market and 2014 Rose Parade float testing

July 14, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!-a blog about food and the events leading to acquiring said food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are busy acquiring and Cathy is posting today.

Hi. I'm writing this post about our day in backwards order…we stopped at House of Cookies last on this road trip to Pasadena, but it's been our destination since we parked in front of it on the first day of the year and today we had time.

The signage for House of Cookies is visible…if you look for it. The doorway is small as is the interior of this family run Armenian bakery.

As you walk in, there are cookies packaged and on the shelves at the door…

There's a refrigerated case with cakes to your right…

and small pastries in another refrigerated case at the back wall, next to another set of shelves of cookies. Yes- those are the prices.

It's *tiny* insde- four adults have difficulty turning around if all are inside at the same time. The husband and wife owners are very friendly. They are Armenian (as are a few of the businesses in this area) and only on Saturdays, they fry a few items (seen above, on the front counter) and offer them for sale- the powdered sugar covered rounds are filled with a custard, the oval shaped fried cakes are filled with either a peppery mashed potato filling or a ground meat filling. (The fried items are $1)

We also purchased what's in the photo above. The fruit topped one has a delicate crust and the same not too sweet cream filling as in the round fried donut. The eclairs are marvelous, not too large, fresh, not too sweet… and the flaky cream filled horn was perfect. We bought all the above, plus two meat filled and one potato filled. ($7.20-total. Really) You can see the delicate layers of the fried sweet donut, and just a little of the custard filling layer: not too much, not too sweet; perfect! Did I mention it was still warm?

Lightly fried, still warm, perfectly seasoned ground meat…these little meat pies are wonderful- and only made on Saturday.

A **wonderful** local place.

House of Cookies 2451 East Washington Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-4280

Before stopping at the House of Cookies, we were just down the street – Pasadena High School- which has a Farmers Market in the parking lot every Saturday morning. I've written a few posts about this market.

On this day, almost every booth -and one entire booth- had fresh peaches available. I suspect in a few weeks, the same will be true for tomatoes.

This is a really nice Market, filled with a great variety of booths with beautiful fresh produce, flowers and other products. It's busy, bustling and filled with pleasant odors of fresh.

I really enjoy looking and shopping here. Overhearing the farmers telling cutomers that regular cabbage is not growing now and only Napa is available…and that the lemons from last week are all gone and the only ones are still white and on the tree is a good sign that the farmers here bring quality products to sell.

Our real reason for waking at 4 a.m. Saturday July 13; it was another Road Test day for the floats that will participate in the 2014 Tournament of Roses parade, being held for the 125th time. (Here's a link to the first road test)-at the Rose Palace assembly and decorating barn of Phoenix Decorating.

The Trader Joe's float, "Relish Your Dreams", is in the basic/rebar phase of construction and looks to have wheels of cheese, pickles and crackers as well as some small appetizer forks. I haven't seen the Artist Rendition yet and can see the float is very detailed.

Last month, the City of Alhambra float as in its rebar stage and now it was road tested in the 'cocoon' stage. It's a "Monster" truck- complete with monsters! Rotary International's float, "Engage Rotary, Change Lives" was road tested with adults aboard today. Last month, it was wood and foam over rebar.

Shriners Hospital for Children with it's "Love to the Rescue" titled float, Lions Club International and Lutheran Hour Ministries were also road tested with people on board.

The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float was driving down Raymond Street when we got there this morning-this is the 'camera view' side of the float; more detailed than the other side…

Having the people onboard- and having them all able to get off the float in 45 seconds (in case of fire)- is the final stage of Road Testing and the floats will be stored at the Barn next to the Rose Bowl Stadium (the Rosemont Pavillion) until the first Saturday in December, when 'detail decorating' begins.

The Kiwanis float is very detailed, with an owl in one tree and an eagle at the top of another tree.

The Donate Life float is a group of lanterns and the float is titled "Light up the World". I heard that the float will have organ donor families and recipients riding on it and walking along the five mile parade route next to the float.

The Western Assets float was also tested today. You can see a giraffe rebar outline to the left. I also saw what looked like gazelle and elephant outlines.

Well, that was an early and busy Saturday. We woke at 4 a.m, left at 4:59 a.m. and got back into the driveway at one minute after noon… Hope you had a good weekend!

Belen Artisan Bakers (Escondido)

July 11, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Belen has moved to Valley Center; no more sandwiches.

Hello. You're reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Cathy has the reins today. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are merely trying to remain cool.

There are more than 50 Farmers Markets in San Diego County. The Mister and I try to stop by at least one a week, sometimes happening upon one while visiting a new (to us) neighborhood.

A good number of the Markets have a stand selling fresh bread from Belen Artisan Bakery. (Photo above is at the Santee Certified Farmers Market). We have always thought the Belen Artisan Bread is excellent; each loaf we have purchased is a hearty, flavorful bread which is still fresh the following morning.

One morning, driving North on the 15, we took the Centre City Parkway exit and one block just past the first signal light, on the right/feeder road, The Mister noticed this storefront. Of course I stopped.

Walking inside the small store, the fresh bakery smell reminded me of walking into one of the numerous corner bakeries I grew up with in Detroit. Fresh loaves of bread were on the shelves to the left, some sweet baked goods in the glass display case and up on the wall, menus of some breakfasts, crepes and sandwich choices. There is also a chalkboard advertising fresh juices available.

Yes, that's the oven behind the counter.

Those spray bottles are not cleaner- they are filled with water, which is sprayed onto the loaves, to give that crispy crust…that's the oven right next to the shelving and it's exactly the oven I remember from the corner bakery where I had my first job.

Over to the right is the area where the bread is mixed, kneed-ed, risen and prepared for baking. So many memories!

You can see some of the breads and sweets as well as the breakfast menu in this photo. On our first visit here, we purchased some rolls to use for burgers and also got an orange-cranberry scone.

There are two booths and two tables inside, and tables set up outside.

On this visit, we purchased a loaf of cheese bread ($4.50) (50¢ less than the Farmers Market price, plus we got it sliced)

On this visit, The Mister and I decided to share a sandwich ($6.50). We chose to try turkey on sunflower seed and flax bread, had the choice and asked for the bread to be toasted, which meant the Swiss cheese was nice and melted. We also asked for mayonnaise as the sauce, even though some interesting choices are available (garlic, garlic-basil and Kalamata olive spread ) and all the other toppings are standard-even the avocado (lettuce, tomatoes and sprouts are the other toppings). The turkey was fresh breast (not packaged lunchmeat) and was pan-warmed.

Since we said we were sharing, the sandwich was brought out in two containers. Nice. This was an excellent sandwich, all fresh and plentiful ingredients. I like the bread. There has been a lot of take out business both times we have been here. Another excellent local business.

Belen Artisan Bakers 2250 S. Escondido Blvd Ste 112, Escondido 92025 (760) 740-5963 Closed Sunday Open 9 am-3 pm Monday : Tues/Wed/Th 7 am-5 pm : Fri/Sat 7 am-3 pm

It turns out that friend and fellow blogger, cc visited Escondido and Belen and wrote a post about her visit today also.

Getting to The Adobo Road Cookbook Tour. {The first stop: 85C-Irvine} Road Trip!

June 26, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Orange County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about adventures in eating. Today, the beginning of one of Cathy's adventures.

In May, I received an e-mail from the LA Times about an upcoming book signing in Pasadena by Marvin Gapultos, whose Blog (cleverly named Burnt Lumpia Blog) I have bookmarked on this machine. Marvin's cookbook, The Adobo Road Cookbook a Filipino food journey -from food blog to food truck and beyond, looked interesting to me, and I saved that email. Later that week, I heard from my friend and fellow blogger, cc, who asked me if I'd want to do a roadtrip with her…because she had already purchased several copies of the cookbook wanted to meet Marvin and have the cookbooks signed by him. Road Trip!

At 7 a.m. on Sunday June 9, cc was at my front door and I had my car filled with fuel and ready. We each had our own coolers so we could transport/bring home anticipated food purchases safely. The book signing was scheduled for 3 p.m.. Yes, there would be a few (nine) stops for food on this 14+ hour day. This post is a link to cc's version about our first stop.

85c Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese bakery of international franchises. I've heard of it, been asked about it but had never experienced it. Now I have done so, *twice* in less than two weeks. {I had to go back with The Mister…}

When cc and I arrived here just before 9 a.m., we missed an onslaught of customers by less than five minutes. When I brought The Mister here, we were in the parking lot five minutes before the doors opened. I really try to avoid crowds. The above refrierated glass case holds cakes and cake slices…

Cubby holes of various fresh baked sweets and savories line the far wall. Cubbies of shelving about half that size line the two adjoining walls. They are are replenished constantly and announced loudly ("fresh bread!!!"). The individual-doored spaces are emptied quickly most of the day with a steady line (an outside the door and into the parking lot line) of customers. The photo above shows the small floor refrigerator centering the shelving and it's filled with prepacked whipped cream and cheesecake filled pastries.

The choices are almost overwhelming and because of the many people picking and choosing pastries, it's necessary to grab what you want as soon as you see it (trays and tongs are at the door as you walk in).

There are two cash registers here; the one to the right will put your pastries into individual bags and you can order beverages and pay, or someone with you can go the register on the left where only beverages can be ordered and they'll probably be ready about the time you are finished paying for pastries.

These were the purchases cc and I made. The sausage cheese pastry (a soft bread dough) and the tomato cheese pastry (a puff pastry dough) became 'breakfast' for us. The beverages are iced sea salt coffee and iced sea salt green tea…beverages I saw a few times this day but still never have seen in San Diego County. The other items are a mango bread (new item here advertised in a poster "Celebrate Mango Season"), blueberry danish, maple brick toast and a multigrain berry bread loaf (which remained soft into the following morning).

This was the 'breakfast' The Mister and I had -cream puffs (real whipped cream; a heavier dough than at the County Fair cream puffs); we were told to refrigerate as soon as possible…as if those would make it back to San Diego) and a ham and cheese croissant. I got a medium iced sea salt coffee ($2.75) for The Mister and also small Americano ($1.80) just to compare the taste differences.

Everything here has been fresh/still warm and what made it to the next day remained fresh. The salted beverages are different and not crazy salty…they are basically a 'regular' beverage topped with sea salt foam that you either can stir into the regular beverage (by swirling; the beverages are in paper cups topped with that hermetic seal you've seen in Boba Shops) or you get the salt at the end of your drink when the sea salt foam has descended to the bottom of the cup: I haven't developed a craving for those beverages…yet.

85c is a good place to stop, but I don't think I would wait in a very long line if I lived here…there are so many alternatives- even within the Diamond Jamboree Center-just across the parking lot; our second stop this day.

85C Cafe and Bakery 2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 123 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 553-8585 US website

The Elephant in the Room-Donut Shops

December 23, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy with things right now and Cathy is blogging today because she is caught up with things.

You know how when you are told not to do or think something, it turns out the only thing you want to do is dwell about that something-the elephant in the room? Well, almost two years ago, everyone around me seemed to become overly aware of their glucose levels, carbohydrate intake and 'eating healthy'. Ever since then, I went from eating one donut a year to stopping at any place with "Donut" and/or "Bakery" in its signage at least once a week. This post is a compendium of some of my favorite Donut shops in different parts of San Diego County.

Let's start in the center – Mira Mesa.

This is the only 'generic' strip mall Donut Shop where I go out of my way to stop – If you've been to Lucky Seafood at the NE corner of Mira Mesa Boulevard at Black Mountain Road, that's where you've seen Donut Stop. It's open from 4:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., in case you have a craving.

What I really like from here are the whipped cream filled donut holes: Little light puffs of angel breath. They call them 'cream puffs' but the dough is soft, not crispy and they are topped with just a dusting of powdered sugar. The raised glazed donut is an automatic purchase and always nice. Simple, not crazy sweet and perfect.

Donut Stop 9330 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858)271-8751

When we head to West to Pacific Beach, Linda's Donuts, on the NW corner of Grand at Lamont, doesn't look very fancy…

It's small inside, but just like Donut Stop, the donuts are constantly being made and there is something ready to eat- even at 10 p.m..

The Boston Creme and French Cruller. Both here are made perfectly. They are 'normal' sized donuts and the Bavarian is quite heavy with filling. If I lived closer, the cruller, with its soft layered interior and crispy light exterior, would be my morning ritual.

Linda's Donuts 1888 Grand Avenue San Diego 92109 (619) 274-4004

Now, heading South-

All the way in Imperial Beach, at the spot where Palm Avenue turns into Highway 75 (the Silver Strand) at 7th Street. In your mind's eye, you can see the signage here used to be "Stardust Donuts" "Fresh"… My friend, "caninecologne" introduced me to Stardust -or at least she tried to; they were closed that one day and have random hours, but now when I am in the area, I make an effort to stop here, in case they are open.

The thing to get here is a cinnamon roll. Again- a 'normal size' with light glaze, not "County Fair" huge with dripping frosting- and a buttermilk stick cake donut are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Stardust Donut Shop 698 Hwy 75 Imperial Beach 91932 (619) 424-6200

Heading North on the 15, to Escondido, take the Centre City exit then jump onto Escondido Boulevard to the South West corner of Ninth…

Peterson's Donut Corner. Open 24/7 (except it's closed from Christmas Day until January 3rd). Form three lines and you can see the selection walking on the outside of the building, through all the windows…

There is outdoor seating and pretty much always a line of people ordering, even in the heat of Summer.

On this day, we got the maple frosted Vienna Kreme, another Cruller and an apple spice cake donut (the flavored cake donuts are different each day). The Vienna Kreme donut is HUGE as are all the filled donuts here. There is always a great variety (blueberry…just get something blueberry) and I don't think the kitchen ever closes.

Peterson's Donut Corner 903 S. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido 92025 (760) 745-7774

Then there is "my" Donut Shop- the one I can walk to (although walking home is uphill)- also open 24/7 (including Christmas Day).

Mary's, on the South West block of Mission Gorge Road at Fanita, one block East of the 125…if you've been to Santee, you've seen it.

There's a small eat in area, the walls are plastered with photos of patrons.

The filled donut holes here are covered in powdered sugar and need coffee to cut the sweetness. The French Cruller is just light and crispy with an eggy interior and …perfect. It really is one of my cravings.

Mary's Donuts 9031 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 448-4800

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Take some time to enjoy a treat before those New Year Resolutions kick in!

Paris Baguette (inside H Mart)

November 28, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

You have navigated your way to mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Today, Kirk as well as ed(from Yuma) are each doing something that requires focus. Cathy is multitasking, so here's a blog post.

I think we all know that the San Diego location of H Mart opened on November 17 -less than two weeks ago. In case anyone didn't know, I will do just about anything to avoid crowds. Therefore The Mister and I decided to wait until things slowed down to shop and check out offerings. The day after Thanksgiving was that perfect day.

Yes, there were empty parking spots at 10 a.m..

H Mart, a Korean Market, has great deals on fruits, vegetables, panchan, kim chee, meats and fish. Everything is fresh and clean. We were very happy walking around while being able to push our shopping cart and not having to navigate around and between shoppers and their carts. When we got to the far end of the store, next to the exit door, we saw the signage-

Similar to other H Marts and Korean Markets in general, you can observe the workers behind glass.

In typical Korean bakery fashion, grab a tray, top it with a paper liner, grab tongs and select your choices from behind and on top of glassed doored cases, stand in line, order beverages and pay.

On this visit, we picked out a good snack of sweets selection.

The round 'donut' ($1) was a very large rice ball/mochi, filled with smooth pumpkin and deep fried. It collapsed when we cut it, but biting into it can give you a cross section view. It was really good and quite large. The almond pastry – basically a croissant ($1.90)- was so light and flaky with crispy almond slices and had a good amount of almond paste filling. The other pastry (listed as a 'one bite' on the receipt, for $1, but on the display had $1.25 as the price) was essentially a puff pastry cup filled with delicious custard and topped with an apricot half. So good-each flavor distinguishable and the various textures made this a perfect snack item.

So, after we got home, there were daily discussions of which items at Paris Baguette we wanted to try and when we we went at around 2 p.m. on a weekday, there was zero parking in the lot in front of H Mart and only a few spaces in the back parking lot. However, hunger and curiosity won out and there were new sales inside the store and a few cart navigation incidents, but once I got to the far side of the store, Paris Baguette wasn't overly busy and I chose a good variety of items for a late lunch. The 4 box of baby chox ($2) was a perfect, soft version of choux pastry filled with real whipped cream which managed to make its way home.

The ham and cheese croissant ($2.25) was a perfect light and flaky pastry filled with just enough ham and cheese to make this sandwich an easy choice in the future. The other item in the above photo is a canele ($1.80) which I haven't seen around here. There was a nice story board on the counter telling that canele was first made in Bordeaux, where the wines are clarified with egg white, leaving yolks behind…

which are used to make the custard filling of this small, dense, caramelized cake. It is unique and wonderful.

The "Crunch Sandwich" ($5.95) which we found in the refrigerator section was very interesting. The package was heavy and ingredients listed are chicken salad, green leaf lettuce, honey mustard and pan croissant. The chicken salad was very nice, made with onion, walnuts and dried cranberries and wrapped in the 'pan croissant' which was a surprisingly nice, dense and chewy flat bread/flat croissant.

We've liked the food and service here and my only criticism is that the line where you wait to pay is along the the coffee, condiment/supplies and trash bins, which makes it awkward to get to the half and half/napkins/forks and knives or to clean your table when you leave.

Paris Baguette is a franchise and another location will be opening inside the new location of Zion Market on Clairmont Mesa and Convoy, when Zion opens (probably in January).

Paris Baguette (Inside H Mart) 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 website

The hot beverage cups are cardboard covered in foam and don't need a cardboard 'sleeve'. I've brought both home and am going to use them for something…just pretty…

2013 Rose Parade Float Road Test-and breakfast at Euro Pane Bakery (Pasadena)

October 28, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy do things and eat, just like you. Today Cathy is writing about why, where and what she had for breakfast.

As you (may) know, The Mister and I grew up back East watching the Rose Parade from our snow covered homes on January 1 (or 2nd, if the 1st was a Sunday) for most of our childhood. At some point, we were able to fulfill one of our "when I grow up" goals. We have volunteered decorating floats for a few years now and know that the parade does not happen overnight. Planning for next year starts almost as soon as the parade ends. One of many steps is the "road test" of the floats. I've posted about the July and the August road tests from this year and skipped writing a post in September, but did, once again, wake at 4 a.m. (so the dogs could all be let out) before leaving our home in East County so as to be on Raymond Street in Pasadena at 7 a.m. to view the floats. We did it all over again on Saturday. So, here are some photos of the September and October road testing..and our breakfast.

The Banner Float-the first one you'll see, showing the Theme of the 2013 parade. It will have so many different items to match and contrast all the colors painted on here as guidelines.

The LAX float was just a shell of rebar in August. That's the new Tom Bradley Terminal, which will open in March.

The HGTV float last time was kind of difficult to picture, but now, all the different home styles are clear.

This little guy, in his own home, will be on the "camera" side of the float.

So those were the 'completed' floats from September.

After we saw all the road testing, once again, we stopped at Lucky Boy and pretty much ordered what apparently has become our "usual". I didn't think you'd be interested in another post, especially containing the same meal…

But I did think you might be interested in seeing a September road test of the rebar-only floats and the resulting October completed floats…

All we knew about this float was that it was the Farmers Insurance Group entry in the parade. It looks like some sort of centerpiece or that something will be featured on the top of the vessel.

It turns out that one lucky couple will be getting married on this float during the parade! (There was a contest to pick the couple, entries ended October 14). The people are on the float to test how it moves/turns with weight, as there will be people riding on the float during the parade.

In September, seeing this…

pulling this, with our only clue being this was the RFD-TV float, had us guessing what was what (other than we knew the front item was a tractor).

Amber waves of grain- so surprised to see such a beautiful result.

Here's the "camera" view…

The Donate Life float appears to be one long mobius ribbon forming hearts along the float. The riders will all be recipients or families of organ donors, as always.

<–This is a closer look at the float, while the riders were exiting on a fire drill.

There was only one 'bare' float being tested and I'll save it for next time. (Hint: Honda)

After this early day, we headed out to seek breakfast 'somewhere on Colorado Boulevard'.

and since it was before 9 a.m., only had to look where we saw vehicles parked…and Euro Pane Bakery looked like a nice place.

Not very large inside (I counted 12 two person tables, and one that could seat eight). When we arrived, only five tables were occupied.

The two photos show all of the display cases and breads available (those are very large macarons in the photo above). Of course, I didn't want any sweets, and chose a slice of spinach quiche:

It came with a currant filled eggy roll… fresh-soft and lightly chewy, which went well with the unsalted butter.

The quiche is very spinach-y, without addition of other flavorings (i.e., no onion or nutmeg). The custard part of the quiche was smooth and eggy, like flan (there was an opposite of a custard:spinach ratio in the pieces near the edge). The crust was light and flaky…and gosh, so fresh.

The Mister saw this item on the counter and asked what it was and the nice Lady said "ham and cheese". Turns out there was also bacon, onions and carrot inside this fresh, crispy crust. It was very much like an Alsace Onion Tart (or the Tarte d'Alsace sold at Trader Joe's), but rolled and inside a crust. The onion was a carmelized sweet and inoffensive (The Mister only eats onions if they are battered and fried or in French onion soup and he did eat some of these, although a nice stack was on the side of the plate when we traded.).

Both items were heated-in an oven in back-for us and brought out to our table. Heating made the flavors even better. I neglected to take the receipt and only know that these two items plus one coffee cost a bit less than $13. I must say the quality was there and the sandwich menu board looked extremely interesting…and now I wish I had grabbed a sweet, or a loaf of bread…

Euro Pane Bakery 950 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 107 Pasadena, CA 91106 (626) 577-1828